296 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Messrs. Gladden and Case confirmed the statement of Prof. Beal. 



C. 13. Stebbins exhibited a cluster of half-ripened Israella grapes, and John- 

 son & Brown three clusters of Talman (or Early Champion) almost ripe. Mr. 

 Stebbins gave a very interesting account of a recent trip to Vermont and New 

 Hampshire. He stated that he saw no fruit on the tables of the hotels in 

 those States except wild red raspberries and huckleberries. Their only culti- 

 vated fruit was the apple. 



Prof. Beal inquired of those present who cultivated grapes if they had set as 

 well as nsual this year. F. B. Johnson and Wm. Gladden replied that the 

 clusters did not seem to fill out well. The professor stated that last year they 

 fruited forty kinds at the college. This year the grapes were large but the 

 clusters imperfect. 



Mr. Sturgis asked Prof. Beal about the prevalence of the codling moth in 

 the college orchard this year. He said he (Mr. S.) kept pigs in his orchard 

 and knocked off all the fruit he could see that had been affected by the moth. * 

 It was not so great a task to do this as might be supposed by one who had not 

 tried it. He knocked off ninety-seven apples from one tree in about four 

 minutes. He felt sure he was getting rid of the moth in this way. 



Prof. Beal said he did not doubt but that it was a good thing to let hogs run 

 in an orchard, but the orchard at the college was not so situated that they 

 could keep hogs in it. They used bauds, and thought that the moth was not 

 increasing, but about held its own. He said if the neghbors would use the 

 bands they might get rid of the moth. The expense was small, only about 

 two cents a tree. 



Mrs. Case said chickens had kept them off their trees at one time, then they 

 disposed of their chickens because they troubled their flowers and garden and 

 the moth had come back. Now they were keeping chickens again. 



Prof. Beal said he had known of one large orchard that had been kept free 

 by a flock of turkeys. 



A gentleman asked how to keep the curculio from his plums. Mr. Gladden 

 said he had two plum trees by his hog-pen. He shook off the plums stung by 

 the insect and threw them over to his pigs. He did not fail to get plums. 



Mr. Sturgis said he placed a sheet under his trees, rapped the trees, and 

 killed the insects that fell into the sheet. 



F. B. Johnson and Kobert Mann were appointed a committee to procure 

 speakers for the next meeting. 



September Meeting. 



"Tree Agents" was a topic presented by Dr. 0. Marshall in a few extem- 

 pore remarks. He stated that soon after the publication of the fact that he 

 had purchased land for horticultural purposes he was infested by tree agents, 

 and he proposed to give some of his experience with them. There were some 

 agents, representing responsible nurseries, who were generally honest, but 

 would get as high prices as possible. There is another class who are not 

 responsible. They have an illustrated book from some nursery, and go over 

 the country taking orders. In his neighborhood last year they took orders for 

 a quince, which they represented as growing on a tree the same as apples ; 

 grapes that would keep the year around; and they tried to sell to him a wild 

 goose plum, which they represented as very superior, but which was simply a 

 superior wild plum. Some of his neighbors purchased them, not knowing 

 what they were. They also sold a so-called Japanese plum, which is really a 



